Chapter 8
The next morning, I woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of Nina humming in the kitchen.
For a moment, I forgot where I was, forgot everything that had happened yesterday.
Then it all came rushing back—Ryder, the mate bond, his planned rejection, the kiss that had turned my world upside down all over again. ?
I groaned and pulled the pillow over my face.
“Emily? You awake?” Nina called from downstairs.
“Unfortunately,” I muttered, but I dragged myself out of bed anyway.
I found Nina in the kitchen, already dressed and pulling ingredients out of the fridge. She smiled when she saw me. “Morning! I was thinking pancakes. Sound good?”
“Sounds perfect.” I moved to help her, grateful for something normal to focus on. Something that didn’t involve blue eyes and tingles and impossible decisions.
We fell into an easy rhythm, Nina mixing the batter while I started on the bacon. The domesticity of it was soothing, and for a little while, I could almost pretend everything was fine.
We were just flipping the first batch of pancakes when the front door opened and Nate walked in, looking exhausted. His hair was disheveled, his clothes rumpled, and there were dark circles under his eyes.
“Hey, babe,” Nina said, immediately moving to kiss him. “How was patrol?”
“Long,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck. “But quiet. No issues.”
I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on something private. The way they fit together so naturally, so easily—it made my chest ache.
Nate pulled back and noticed me standing by the stove. “Morning, Emily. Sleep okay?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I flipped a pancake, focusing on getting the edges just right.
“Oh, before I forget,” Nate said, moving to pour himself a cup of coffee. “The Luna wants to have lunch with you today.”
My stomach dropped. “Luna?” The word came out sharper than I intended. “I thought Ryder—I mean, the Alpha—wasn’t mated.”
Nate looked confused for a second, then understanding dawned on his face. “Oh, no, the Alpha isn’t mated. We still call his mother Luna since he doesn’t have a mate yet. Sorry, should have been clearer.”
Relief flooded through me, followed immediately by embarrassment. Of course. I should have known that. “Right. Sorry.”
“No worries,” Nate said easily. “She asked if you could meet her at the packhouse around noon.”
“I’ll drop you off,” Nina offered, sliding another pancake onto the growing stack. “I need to run some errands in town anyway.”
“Thanks,” I said, though my mind was already racing. Tina wanted to have lunch with me. Ryder’s mother. The woman who had been like a second mom to me when I was a kid, who had welcomed me into her home countless times, who had probably known all along that I was her son’s mate.
What did she want to talk about? Was she going to try to convince me to give Ryder another chance? Or worse, was she going to tell me to stay away from him?
Breakfast passed in a blur of conversation I barely registered. Nina and Nate talked about the upcoming mating ceremony, about pack politics I didn’t understand, about people I’d never met. I nodded and smiled in what I hoped were the right places, but my mind was elsewhere.
Before I knew it, Nina was pulling up in front of the packhouse, and my heart was hammering in my chest.
“You okay?” Nina asked, giving me a concerned look.
“Yeah,” I lied. “Just nervous.”
“Tina’s really nice,” Nina assured me. “You’ll be fine.”
I nodded and climbed out of the car, smoothing down my shirt nervously.
I’d changed three times this morning, unable to decide what to wear to lunch with my childhood best friend’s mother who also happened to be the Luna of a werewolf pack.
I’d finally settled on jeans and a simple blue blouse—casual but put-together.
The packhouse looked even more imposing in the daylight. The stone facade gleamed in the sun, and I could see people moving around inside through the large windows. Wolves. All of them wolves.
And standing at the front door, waving enthusiastically, was Tina.
She looked almost exactly the same as I remembered. Her dark hair had a few more silver streaks, and there were laugh lines around her eyes that hadn’t been there before, but she still had that same warm, welcoming smile that had made me feel safe as a scared little girl lost in the woods.
When she saw me, she ran down the steps and pulled me into a tight hug.
“Oh goddess, it is great to see you, bunny!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the nickname. I hadn’t heard it in years. “It’s great to see you too, Tina.”
She pulled back, holding me at arm’s length and looking me over with shining eyes. “Look at you! All grown up and beautiful. Come on, come inside. I’m so glad you could make it.”
She linked her arm through mine and practically dragged me up the steps and through the front door.
The interior was just as impressive as I remembered, high ceilings, warm wood floors, large windows that let in streams of natural light.
But now I noticed details I’d missed before: the pack insignia carved into the mantle above the fireplace, the formal portraits of past alphas lining the walls, the sense of history and power that permeated every corner.
“Let’s grab some food first,” Tina said, leading me toward what I assumed was the kitchen. “I had the cook prepare some of your favorites. Do you still love chicken salad sandwiches?”
“You remembered,” I said, touched.
“Of course I remembered. You used to eat them every time you came over.” She squeezed my arm affectionately. “I remember everything about you, bunny.”
We loaded up plates with sandwiches, fruit, and cookies, then Tina led me upstairs. My heart started pounding as we climbed the wide staircase.
At the top of the stairs, Tina turned right, leading me down a hallway lined with doors. I must have had a weird look on my face because she laughed.
“Don’t worry, lunch is just the two of us. Ryder isn’t here right now. He’s out dealing with some pack business.”
Relief washed over me, and I smiled. “Good. I mean—not that I don’t want to see him, just—”
“I understand,” Tina said gently. “You need some space. That’s perfectly normal.”
She stopped in front of a door across the hall from one marked “Alpha” and pushed it open. The nameplate read “Luna” in elegant script.
The office was beautiful, smaller than Ryder’s, but warm and inviting. Large windows overlooked the forest, and the furniture was a mix of professional and comfortable. There was a desk in one corner, but Tina led me to a small table by the window where we could sit and eat.
“I just wanted us to have some privacy,” she said, setting down her plate and gesturing for me to sit.
I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely sure I believed her.
There was something in her expression, a hint of mischief that reminded me so much of Ryder it made my chest ache.
Tina had her scheming face on, the same one she’d worn when she used to try to get Ryder and me to admit we liked each other when we were kids.
We settled into our seats, and for a few minutes, we just ate in comfortable silence. The chicken salad was just as good as I remembered, and I realized I was actually hungry.
“So,” Tina said, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. “Tell me about your parents. How are they doing?”
I smiled. “They’re great, actually. Living their best empty-nester life. They travel constantly now—I think they’ve been to more countries in the past five years than most people visit in a lifetime.”
“That sounds wonderful,” Tina said warmly. “They always did love to travel. Where are they now?”
“On a cruise around the world, actually. They’ll be gone for another three months.” I laughed. “I only really see them during the holidays now, and even then, I usually have to meet them wherever they happen to be. Last Christmas was in Thailand.”
“Thailand! How exotic.” Tina’s eyes sparkled. “I’d love to see them again sometime. Greg and I miss them.”
“I’m sure they’d love to see you and Greg too,” I said honestly. My parents had always liked the Blacks, had been sad when they’d “moved away” after Ryder left for college. If only they knew the truth.
“And what about you?” Tina asked, leaning forward with interest. “Ryder mentioned you’re working as a Pack Liaison now. That must be fascinating work.”
My fork paused halfway to my mouth. Ryder mentioned it?
How did he even know? I’d never told him—we hadn’t exactly had a casual catch-up conversation yesterday.
My mind raced. Had he been keeping tabs on me?
The thought sent a strange flutter through my chest, equal parts unsettling and...
something else I didn’t want to examine too closely.
“It is,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady even as questions swirled in my head.
Work was a safe topic, even if the fact that Ryder apparently knew about my career wasn’t safe at all.
“I cover the Northeast region, helping newly integrated packs navigate human society and mediating any conflicts that arise. It’s challenging, but rewarding.”
“I’m so proud of you,” Tina said, and the sincerity in her voice made my throat tight. “You always were so good at bringing people together, even as a little girl. This job suits you perfectly.”
“Thank you,” I managed.
Tina took a sip of her water, and something shifted in her expression. “You know, Ryder played a big role in the integration. He worked tirelessly to get support from other packs, to convince them that revealing ourselves to humans was the right thing to do.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Of course he had. Ryder had always been passionate about doing the right thing, about protecting people.
“I’m sure we both know the reasoning behind Ryder wanting the integration,” Tina said softly.
I looked down at my plate, unable to meet her eyes. Because of me. He’d pushed for integration because of me. Because he’d known I was his mate and wanted a world where we could be together.
Except he’d also planned to reject me, so what did any of it matter?